With regards to lighting.

[qurryxavier]

Im a "well read" newbie gathering materials for a 1st grow. Im contemplating using (A) 400w Metal Halide for Vegetative growth and a 600 HPS for Flowering. or (B) 1000w HPS for the entire grow. This is going to be a bathroom grow in a space that is 4x5 and 8 ft in height. Im starting with 4-6 plants.

Which would be the best option? Would the 1000w HPS be overkill for such a small space?

Should I consider flourescents as an option in such a small space? It is my understanding that they work well but not Nearly as well as a MH/HPS combo.
Please advise.

 

[naturalhi]

I vote 1KW HPS for the whole grow. I once had a 5'x5' with this settup worked fine!>)

 

[Be Irie]

I would go with a 600 for veg and the 1000 for flowering....If you are going for a short veg time then the 400 may work for six plants, but if you are letting them veg for a bit six plants would outgrow the 400 pretty quick..

 

[qurryxavier]

Thank. @ Be Irie. Ita a either or for me becuae I dont cant spend for both. NOTE. The 400w 600w combo consisted of a MH for Veg and a HPS for Flowering.

I was afraid the a 1000w HPS would be too much on the plants given the set up but Im now assured that they will be fine. So @ 1000w HPs i should keep plants about 1.5 feet away? Correct?

 

[rnwy29erclr]

Thank. @ Be Irie. Ita a either or for me becuae I dont cant spend for both. NOTE. The 400w 600w combo consisted of a MH for Veg and a HPS for Flowering.

I was afraid the a 1000w HPS would be too much on the plants given the set up but Im now assured that they will be fine. So @ 1000w HPs i should keep plants about 1.5 feet away? Correct?

i find with my 1k about 2feet away is cool, some say put light as close as possable then put the back of your hand under light with your palm down just touching the tops of your plants, if the light starts burning the top of your hand your to close, oh hell just start out about 2 feet away u will learn how close your plants like it with out them getting the fake bake.
rnwy29erclr

 

[bizz]

I vote LED for veg and 1000w HPS for flower

 

[naturalhi]

Thank. @ Be Irie. Ita a either or for me becuae I dont cant spend for both. NOTE. The 400w 600w combo consisted of a MH for Veg and a HPS for Flowering.

I was afraid the a 1000w HPS would be too much on the plants given the set up but Im now assured that they will be fine. So @ 1000w HPs i should keep plants about 1.5 feet away? Correct?

I had the best results with; Seedlings/clones keep light about 4'-5' above plant, after the first week or two move the light to about 3' above plants and keep it about 3' above plants the rest of grow. 1kw is very hot anything less than 3' could cause burns and moisture loss. Put yer hand under the light if it'll burn yer hand it'll burn the leaves:>)

 

[bizz]

I had the best results with; Seedlings/clones keep light about 4'-5' above plant, after the first week or two move the light to about 3' above plants and keep it about 3' above plants the rest of grow. 1kw is very hot anything less than 3' could cause burns and moisture loss. Put yer hand under the light if it'll burn yer hand it'll burn the leaves:>)

I agree about moving light farthest then moving closer to get plants used to strong light source, but with air cooled hood I was able to get 1000HPS light about 6 inches from canopy...

Once plants have healthy root system and are acustomed to strong light they can get pretty close

This chart was posted in another thread, reposting here since it might help

 

[CT.Greenskunk]

I use a 1000w mh at 14 in. above the canopy, the light is on a suncircle which helps to keep temp. down to avoid burn .

 

[naturalhi]

Bizz, Good post I didn't know that air cooled hoods made that much difference!>)

 

[qurryxavier]

I did consider a 90w LED UFO for VEG but it seems that 600HPS to 1000HPS will do the trick for the whole run. Thanks Everyone!

 

[bizz]

I did consider a 90w LED UFO for VEG but it seems that 600HPS to 1000HPS will do the trick for the whole run. Thanks Everyone!

I have a dimmable ballast. Last run I did veg with it, first at 600 for about a week, then 750 a few days, then 1000... vegged 2 weeks total. I got more stretching than I'd have liked, used HPS bulb, maybe would have seen better results for VEG using MH...

Used an all blue 90w UFO and an all red 90w UFO for veg this time and the results after 11 days beat the HPS IMO... plus less energy... Next time I'll do simple rauber for veg using ufo...

 

[qurryxavier]

I was just going to inquire about that. Maybe a MH bulb for VEG and then go to HPS. ALL at 1000W. I have seen SO MANY mixed reviews regarding LED. It makes alot of sense to VEG w them it seems. I would NEVER even entertain using them to flower.Thanks for the input.

 

[Be Irie]

The MH would be preferred for veg. It will keep the plants more compact then an HPS in veg... I actually have an MH in the flower room that I use for the first few weeks when a group of plants go into the flower room.

 

[korsemode]

i'm a newbie grower, slightly confused with lighting setup. room is 2'x4' and 6' high, i want to use cfl's but not sure about size, would 125 watt be enough for 4 plants? and should i run blue in veg and red in flower, or can i run them side by side for entire grow?